Chapter 14
One week later, on Sunday morning…
8:00 a.m.
Jasmine, call your father or me immediately.
8:05 a.m.
Jasmine, I have accepted a dinner invitation for you. Call me so I can give you the details.
8:10 a.m.
Jasmine Jane, I have not heard from you yet and I am getting ready to go over some files. I will send you an email regarding the details of tomorrow’s dinner plans.
9:00 a.m.
Let me know your current size. You looked like you may have gained weight when I saw you last. I will be sending a dress to your apartment for your dinner. You might want to wear a shrug to cover your arms. I do not want them flapping about at dinner.
10:00 a.m.
It is rude to ignore your mother. I do not appreciate your lack of response. I went ahead and ordered you a dress in a size 12. Wear your SPANX if it’s too tight, and make sure to get your nails done. I would prefer if you wore the low-heeled taupe pumps that I bought you for graduation instead of those inappropriate sandals you always wear.
10:30 a.m.
Jasmine, your father will be speaking to you regarding your inability to answer the phone or my text messages. In case you have not checked your email, you are expected to be at dinner at 7 p.m. at Giordano’s on the plaza. Use the valet at the restaurant. I do not want you sweating if you have to park and walk from the garage down the block. First impressions are extremely important. DO NOT BE LATE. Dr. Jansen has already made the reservations.
10:35 a.m.
I forgot to tell you that Dr. Jansen is a bariatric specialist so make sure you order a salad. I do not want you to give the impression that you will always be this heavy. His divorce was finalized last week and his ex was heavier…which is probably why they are now divorced. Do not make her mistakes.
“What the hell has you buzzing so much?” Leo’s sleepy voice came from beside her head on the pillow he was trying to steal from her.
Jasmine gripped the pillow tighter and made a snorting sound. Her mom was crazy.
Seriously crazy.
When the text messages had first started coming in, Jasmine had tried to ignore them for as long as possible. Leo’s bed was so incredibly comfortable that she hadn’t wanted to pick up her phone because she knew that would wake her all the way up and her dreams of sleeping in on a Sunday morning would vanish. Of course, once she had seen the text messages that her mom had started sending every five minutes, she had been awake no matter what.
Rolling her eyes at the sheer ridiculousness of the messages, she turned her phone off and tossed it back onto the wooden surface.
“Just my mom acting crazy again.” Jasmine turned on to her side to hug the naked body next to her own. “You know, you wouldn’t have to steal my pillow if you had more than two on this bed.”
“You will never turn me into a man with a mound of pillows on my bed, babe. It’s not going to happen.” Leo wrapped his arm around her, nuzzling his face into her hair.
“I didn’t say a mound. I just said more than two,” she argued, rubbing her nose into the skin on his chest. “You smell so good.”
“I smell like you and we smell like sex,” Leo pointed out. “Sugar, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve had you and I still can’t keep my hands off.”
Jasmine agreed with him there. For the past week, Jasmine had stayed over every single night and there hadn’t been one instance when they hadn’t been intimate in some way. “How long do you think it will be like this?”
Leo shrugged his shoulder, which in turn lifted and then dropped her head resting on it. “I have no idea but I can’t see a day when I won’t feel like I have to have you. Hell, I fucking think of you and I’m as hard a rock. It’s become downright embarrassing at work.”
The couple stayed silent for a moment before Leo stroked her wild hair out of her face. “Are you going to be honest with me about the texts now? I felt you get stiff when you read them and that only happens when you talk to your parents.”
“I don’t get stiff when I talk to my parents,” Jasmine replied before realizing what she said was a lie. “Damnit! Maybe I do…but they drive me crazy.”
“Is everything okay? It sounded like they sent you a million texts.”
Jasmine sat up, letting the blanket fall to her waist exposing her breasts. Partially because she didn’t care if they were covered or not, and because showing her boobs might keep Leo distracted so he wouldn’t be pissed her parents set up another date for her.
“My mom wants me to go to a dinner on the plaza tomorrow and was texting me the details.”
Leo sat up as well, studying her for a moment. He surprised her when he said, “I’ll go with you if it’s a big deal. I have a nice suit I can wear so you won’t be alone.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” The mere thought of the conversation that was about to happen made Jasmine’s gut clench.
“It’s not a problem, sugar. Plus, I don’t like the idea of you driving around KC late at night by yourself and then having to make the drive all the way back here.” Leo rubbed her back, oblivious to the turmoil that Jasmine was feeling. “I have tomorrow off and don’t have to be at the station until Tuesday morning so it’s no big deal. Maybe we could even do a carriage ride or something if the dinner ends early?”
Leo scooted off the bed and walked naked into the master bathroom. Leaving the door open, Jasmine could hear him relieve himself while she tried to figure out how to let him know this wasn’t a large function and instead a romantic date with a recent divorcee her parents had set up.
“That’s really sweet of you, but I don’t think you want to go to this particular dinner.” Jasmine tried to think of the best way to say what needed to be said.
She looked up when Leo braced against the doorway, still naked, to brush his teeth. “Why not?” he asked, his mouth full of toothpaste.
“Well…ummm…this was something my parents set up and—” Jasmine twisted the blanket in her lap, unable to stop the nervous movements.
Leo narrowed his eyes at her before holding up a finger in the universal gesture to wait a minute. Listening to him rinse and spit, she knew that her reprieve was a short one and braced herself for the upcoming discussion.
When he walked back into the room and sat on the bed in front of her she knew she had to tell him the truth.
“What’s going on?” Leo folded his arms across his chest, his posture serious and stern.
Jasmine let go of the now damp covers. Sheesh, she hadn’t realized her hands were sweating so much.
“You’re starting to worry me, sugar.” Leo reached over and took one of her hands. Jasmine grimaced at the sweat that he was probably feeling on her palm.
“I’m sorry. I just want to let you know that I didn’t know what she was doing,” Jasmine started, which caused Leo’s eyes to widen.
“Now you’re really freaking me out. What. Is. Going. On?”
Jasmine had no words to explain the craziness that were Reginald and Victoria so she simply picked up her phone, unlocked it and handed it to him with the text message thread open.
She watched as Leo calmly read them all, starting with this morning’s stream of messages. The only indication that he was upset was the tightening of his hand on her phone. His knuckles turned white from the tension. When he was done he simply handed her the phone and looked at her.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Jasmine whispered, feeling as if she were on pins and needles.
“They don’t know we’re dating?” Leo’s expression was neutral when he asked the question.
“I haven’t had a chance to tell them about you yet. During the week we don’t see each other, and they canceled dinner yesterday because of the golf tournament,” she replied, trying to explain why she hadn’t told her parents that she was now in a relationship with the man who was the son of their previous maid.
“And it’s not because you’re ashamed of us, right?” The question felt as if Leo had stabbed her in the heart.
Jasmine was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. “No, that’s not it. I promise.”
There was no way in hell she was ashamed of Leo. He was amazing in every single way and she was fairly certain she was already partially in love with him. So what if he wasn’t in the medical profession? So what if he had been the boy that her parents warned her away from? He was now the man she was involved with and nothing was going to change that, right?
“So, what are you going to do?”
Jasmine was confused by the question. “What do you mean?”
“Are you going on this date?” Leo asked, his voice now carrying an edge to it. “I read that it was a date, right?” At her small nod, he asked again, “So, are you going on this date?”
“Of course not,” Jasmine answered quickly, wanting to reassure Leo that it wasn’t going to happen.
“Are you going to tell your parents why?”
Licking her lips, Jasmine tried to find a way to explain the situation in a way that wouldn’t piss Leo off. “Well, I think it might be best if I wait to tell them about us until I see them again, don’t you think?”
“When will that be?” Leo stood up and walked to his dresser to grab a pair of his boxer briefs.
“They are out of town next weekend for a conference in Chicago and then they have another golf tournament the following weekend so maybe…in a couple weeks or so?” Jasmine fiddled with the phone in her hand and watched as he gathered up clothes for the day.
Leo walked into the bathroom and placed fresh clothes on the counter in the small room before turning around again to look at her. The look of disappointment in his eyes was like a physical blow to her chest. That was something she never wanted to see directed at her again. She would rather have him angry with her than disappointed any day.
“Jazz, I understand wanting to tell them in person, but they are trying to pimp you out to their doctor friends.” Leo rubbed his hands over his face, the action making him look haggard. “When are you going to start standing up for yourself?”
Jasmine welcomed the anger that she felt at his words. It helped replace the guilt that she had been feeling when Leo had looked at her like she let him down. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means that you’re an adult! Why don’t you act like it for once and tell your parents what it is that you really want! Hell, my mom is in the loop and she lives in fucking Florida! And you know what? She fucking loves the fact that we found each other again. She’s already planning on a visit.” Leo’s voice had raised as he spoke to her. “You are going to be starting your new job in a week and you still haven’t told them that you accepted the position. We have been basically living together since we reconnected and you haven’t even hinted that you’re seeing someone.”
“My parents…” Jasmine felt the heat of tears fill her eyes, her throat clogged with emotion.
“This stopped being about your parents a while ago. It’s about you and what you want. Don’t use them as an excuse.” Leo turned his back and quietly closed the bathroom door.
Jasmine let the tears slide down her cheeks as she heard the shower start up. Quickly scooting off the bed, she found her overnight bag and pulled on the sundress she had packed. Moving fast, she gathered up the rest of her belongings that she had scattered about Leo’s house over the last week, trying to finish before the water turned off in the adjacent room.
Before she knew it, she was walking out the front door with her bag over her shoulder and tears falling steadily down her face.
Jasmine knew what she needed to do, but that didn’t make it easier. Leo had been right when he said she needed to stand up for herself when it came to her parents, but he didn’t see how much pressure they put on her.
Their expectations for her had never let up. Their goals for her never went away. They simply kept moving the finish line farther and farther away every time she attempted to cross it.
The pressure was not only unending but also suffocating. When she had been a child, Jasmine had quickly learned that going with the flow was much easier than fighting the current. It was how she had stayed afloat.
She had spent years hearing that they only wanted what was best for her. It had been said so frequently that when Winter had even questioned her parents’ actions a few times, Jasmine had repeated what had become her mantra.
They only want what’s best for me.
Did she want to follow their career path for her?
No.
Did she want to date a divorced bariatric doctor she had never met?
No, even though he was probably a pleasant person.
Was she ashamed of Leo?
Not even close. Watching him work the past week had shown her how strong he was to do the job he had chosen. He was smart and funny and sexy as hell. When they went out to dinner or lunch she had been proud to hold his hand and be recognized as his plus one.
So why was it so hard for her to just tell her parents that not only had she met someone, but he was also the boy from her past.
Had her silence really allowed her parents to think they could arrange dates for her?
Would an arranged marriage be next?
As Jasmine drove to her neglected apartment, she felt as if she had been drained of all her energy. She didn’t even have the energy to actively cry over the downward spiral that her relationship with Leo had taken within the last hour. Instead, she let tears slip down her face and sprinkle her dress. Not caring how she looked to fellow drivers, she simply steered the car as if she were a robot.
Parking her car in front of her apartment building, Jasmine simply grabbed her phone from the passenger seat, leaving her bag of clothes on the floorboard. The last thing she wanted to do was carry it up the three flights of stairs while she was crying. Knowing how klutzy she was, it would only make her fall and break her neck.
Feeling another buzz in her hand, Jasmine quickly unlocked her phone hoping that it was a message from Leo.
Don’t forget to wear hose tomorrow. It is not appropriate to have bare legs. I don’t care what your magazines and friends say. Also, plan to come to the house for dinner on Friday night. Your father and I need to discuss a job opportunity that will suit you.
After reading the message from her mom, Jasmine felt a rage come over her. Before she could stop herself, Jasmine tapped out a quick reply.
Mother, I am sorry I missed your calls and texts this morning, but I spent the night at my boyfriend’s house and we slept in. Cancel the dinner tomorrow and also the dress delivery. I don’t need either of them. I also won’t be able to make a trip into the city this week. Since I start my new job at the pediatrician’s office next week, I want to get in my volunteer hours at the animal shelter while I can. FYI, I am a size FOURTEEN now and Leo loves my curves. I will talk to you later when I have time.
Jasmine reread the message before hitting send, knowing that this was going to most likely end in a dramatic call from her mother if not both her parents. She didn’t care though. She may not even have a boyfriend any longer, but if that was the case then she had only herself to blame.
And from here on out, she was going to make sure that she was making the choices she needed to make. Choices that started with answering the call from her mother within thirty seconds of sending her reply text.
No time like the present to grow some balls, right?
“Mother—” Jasmine took a huge breath of air, feeling as if she had shrugged off the heavy weight she had been carrying for so long. “I agree that we need to talk, but first I need you to listen.”